For a while, it looked like Keselowski and Logano might not even make it onto the starting grid as NASCAR officials dissected their cars and made their teams scramble to make changes to the rear-end housing and parts and pieces that were confiscated.

Then the two drivers struggled early in the race, with Logano starting at the rear.

But they both rallied for impressive finishes under difficult circumstances. Keselowski then spiced things up with some potentially explosive comments about NASCAR and it’s officials.

The two drivers still face possible penalties for technical violations, but for now they are on the move in our weekly Power Rankings.

1. Kyle Busch (Last week: 2) — Busch is starting to look like the Kyle Busch of old, dominating the Nationwide Series and winning Cup races at a rapid clip. With two wins and five straight top-five finishes, he is establishing himself as a serious title contender.

2. Jimmie Johnson (1) — After winning the last race at Texas, Johnson did not lead a lap this time and was not a serious contender. Though he scored a solid sixth-place finish and still leads the standings, his performance on the big tracks has to be a concern.

3. Brad Keselowski (4) — That Keselowski finished ninth after getting held up in prerace inspection and struggling early in the race is a testament to why this is a championship team. But his team may now face a points penalty, which could drop him from second in the standings. And though he apparently will get a reprieve after his explosive postrace comments, you can bet NASCAR will be watching him even closer now.

4. Kasey Kahne (3) — Like Johnson, Kahne was not as competitive as expected at Texas. Is something amiss with the Hendrick cars on the big tracks?

5. Greg Biffle (7) — After winning the April race at Texas last year, Biffle didn’t lead a lap this time. But he did come on strong at the end to finish fourth and climb to fourth in the standings, continuing his solid start.

6. Carl Edwards (10) — Not even an unfastened seat belt could slow Edwards, who rallied from multiple setbacks to finish third at Texas. Edwards’ fourth top-10 finish gained him two spots in the standings, giving Roush Fenway Racing’s two drivers in the top five after seven races.

7. Matt Kenseth (8) — Kenseth has had two straight disappointing finishes as his Gibbs team continues to fade at end of races.

8. Clint Bowyer (5) — On a day when his teammate was dominant, Bowyer struggled and finished 15th. Maybe his team needs to check the notes of Martin Truex Jr.

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (6) — Earnhardt was running third and in contention to win when both he and his team made critical mistakes when his battery lost power. Those are the kinds of mistakes he can’t make if he expects to win races and be a championship contender.

10. Joey Logano (13) — For a while Saturday night, Logano was worried whether he would even make the race when his car and team were held up in the inspection line. After starting at the rear of the field, he rallied to finish fifth — another sign that Logano and his Penske team have gotten it together and are making big progress.

11. Ryan Newman (17) — The up-and-down Newman finished 31st at Martinsville, so he was due for another good run. He got it with a 10th-place finish at Texas, helping him gain six spots in the standings.

12. Kevin Harvick (12) — He finished 13th for the third straight week and for the fourth time this season. That’s not where Harvick expects to be.

13. Paul Menard (11) — Menard had finished in the top 10 at Las Vegas and California, so 17th at Texas was a disappointment.

14. Jeff Gordon (9) — Gordon had a fast car and a chance to win until a wheel hub on his car burned out. How many times have such problems derailed him in the past three years?

15. Aric Almirola (19) — Almirola was fast all night and finished it off with a seventh-place finish, his first top-10 of the season. He has finished in the top 20 in six of seven races and climbed to 14th in points.

16. Martin Truex Jr. (25) — After a terrible start to the season, Truex finally showed how he made the Chase last year. His runnerup finish and 142 laps led was impressive, but Truex and his Michael Waltrip Racing team must find a way to close the deal when it has a car fast enough to win.

17. Jamie McMurray (14) — McMurray was fast again but a pit-road penalty derailed him. The most important thing is that his Earnhardt Ganassi team is showing speed and making progress.

18. Mark Martin (16) — Back in the comfortable confines of his MWR team, Martin was a disappointing 14th at Texas.

19. Tony Stewart (15) — Every week you expect Stewart to snap out of his funk and return to form, but so far it hasn’t happened. Stewart finished 21st at Texas and remained mired in 22nd in the standings. He has to be getting frustrated and extremely concerned.

20. Brian Vickers (NR) — Vickers finished eighth in his first race with Denny Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing team. He has solid finishes with two different teams in the past two weeks and looks like he might be a contender in his brief stint with Gibbs.

21. Marcos Ambrose (21) — Ambrose has qualified well the past two weeks but is having problems staying out of trouble and finishing races. The roles have been reversed at Richard Petty Motorsports — Ambrose is now following the lead of Almirola.

22. Danica Patrick (20) — Whether it was the new cowboy boots or the big shiny belt buckle, something slowed Danica’s progress at Texas. A week after an impressive 12th-place run at Martinsville, she struggled on another big, fast oval and finished three laps down in 28th.

23. Kurt Busch (22) — Busch started up front and looked like he had the speed to keep up with his little brother, but a mechanical problem sent him to the garage early again. After two straight top-fives, Busch has finished 37th the past two weeks.

24. Denny Hamlin (18) — For the second straight week, Hamlin had the uncomfortable position of sitting atop his team’s pit box and watching someone else drive his car. His second straight DNS dropped him another seven spots in the standings, to 25th. He now has lost 17 spots in the past two weeks. The plunge will continue until his back heals.

25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (24) — Danica’s big-track struggles must be rubbing off on her boyfriend. Stenhouse wrecked early and finished 40th at Texas, his worst finish as a Sprint Cup rookie and his third straight outside the top 20.